Happy belated Halloween! I hope you all had a cozy, spooky day. Thankfully the weather was warmer here than last Halloween, when we had snow flurries. We have been having sunshine after a week of cloudy, overcast gloom. Still, my spirits were a little down yesterday despite the sunshine, but a day of coziness lifted them.

How to Have a Cozy Halloween – COVID Edition

Step 1 – Appropriate fall-related drinks. I was going to grab my default Starbucks in the next town over, but decided to drop by a small little coffee shop on the corner of our Main Street. They have a nice curbside option and seem to be taking the mask policy very seriously, which is pretty bold for this teeny town that otherwise doesn’t think the virus is real. We bought warm apple ciders, which were delicious. I definitely will be giving them more of my business in the future.

Step 2 – Forest Walk. There’s a park in the next town over from us that we’ve been frequenting lately. The fall leaves have been beautiful, and it’s just long enough for us to stretch our legs without having to spend all day hiking. Our apple ciders kept us warm as we sipped and walked. The leaves are falling rapidly – it’s hard to believe that this is the same tick haven we first encountered back in April. We were able to see a lot of bluebirds on our walk, which was really enjoyable. Plus, there’s a railroad track nearby with lots of random, spooky high-pitched noises, which provided the perfect spooky setting for Halloween!

Step 3 – Bookstore Stop. Because. Don’t judge me. Being in a bookstore always lifts my mood.

Step 4 – Dress your pet up in a Halloween costume and have him resent you the rest of the evening. I dressed Apollo up in a bumblebee outfit that made him very sad. Behold, the world’s saddest bumblebee.

I saw this shirt at Meijer and couldn’t resist purchasing it – it says WITCHES BE AMBITIOUS. Fitting. I joked that it’s the costume of a woman who is over 2020 and being stuck at home. (This is the neat-freak Italian coming out in me, but the broom in the background not intentional, just there after a cleaning spurt and PLEASE IGNORE Husband’s flip flops at the bottom left of the photo.)

As a side note, today marks an entire year since Apollo’s herniated disc injury, and it fills me with joy to see all the things he’s been able to accomplish in 2020! We are very, very careful now about his couch time and making sure he’s always harnessed up when he cuddles with us. It has made such a huge difference. Even though he’s already 8.5, he’s still a sprite, rambunctious little dude, and I can’t imagine our hiking or camping adventures without him.

As another side note, I didn’t realize that Apollo was training me for quarantine with the three weeks I spent at home with him during his recovery. HAH!

Step 5 – Pumpkin Carving. I admittedly haven’t carved too many pumpkins in my life, so it was hard not to think things like “THIS IS A LOT OF WORK FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL SIT AND DECAY ON MY BOOKSHELF” as I did it. But we made it fun. I put on a Spotify playlist of Halloween songs and we got to work. I’d purchased a little kit from Meijer with tools and templates. I attempted a bat, but it didn’t turn as well. I messed up and cut away the design from the pumpkin base, so the bat fell off. Whoops! Pins to the rescue!

Step 6 – Scary movies! No trick-or-treaters for us this year, which made me a little sad; but given the rising cases here, it was the right decision. After a cozy meal of Colorado Chili that Husband prepared, we sat down to watch The Sixth Sense. Husband had never seen it (but of course knew the ending). I hadn’t seen it in a long time, so I had forgotten how sad the movie actually is. WHOOPS SORRY FOR THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER HUSBAND, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! It’s still so good, and I always have to struggle not to cry during this scene (ugh Toni Collette is amazing, I need to watch more of her work!)

Step 7 – Instantly regret all the sugar you consumed since you are rapidly approaching middle-age and cannot metabolize sugar like you did in your twenties. We started watching Alien next (which I hadn’t seen), but I was so tired that I fell asleep. I hope I can finish watching it today. I know 36 isn’t old, but I feel really tired and crappy from a weekend that consisted of staying up until 2 AM with my Zoom crew playing games on Friday night; skipping a workout on Saturday; and eating more sugar than I usually do. And it’s not even THAT much sugar! Just some frosted cookies and a little bit of Halloween candy on Friday and Saturday nights.

I think back on parties with my friends 10 years ago that involved my driving an hour and a half to get to my friend’s house in San Antonio, then staying up until 4 am drinking and hanging out, sleeping for four or five hours, stuffing my face with Whataburger the next day, then driving back to Austin. WHY DO I FEEL THAT TIRED NOW?

Anyway, I hope you have a lovely weekend and had a happy Halloween! American friends, I hope you can keep your sanity until Tuesday. Please vote if you haven’t already!